Fasting helps inreducing risk factors of heart attack

Rawalpindi
Islamic fasting in the holy month of Ramazan helps reducing risk factors of heart attack as it dissolves all unnecessary and unnatural fats deposits in the body and controls blood Low Density Lipoproteins, bad cholesterol, which is bad for heart and health.
Health experts believe that fasting also benefits patients with hypertension as it regulates body functions and helps control blood pressure. They believe that fasting brings discipline and contentment that keep a person away from all the scourge of modern life that results in diseases like high blood pressure and heart attack.
It is commonly observed that patients suffering from hypertension and heart diseases feel a lot better when fasting in Ramazan, the only thing they need is proper guidance on food and medication from qualified physician, said Rawal-pindi Medical College Principal Professor of Medicine Dr. Muhammad Umar while tal-king to ‘The News’.
He, like many other health experts, believes that a proper balance in diet is a must for both the healthy persons and the heart patients to get maximum benefits from fasting. No doubt, fasting has great physical, spiritual and psychological impact on health and it may help patients with heart diseases and hypertension to improve their health, he said.
He explained that high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet containing high sugar, high carbohydrate and excess hydrogenated oils and stress are the main risk factors for heart diseases and stroke. One can avoid all these factors by being under the fast, he said.
Talking of the diet for heart patients and patients with hypertension while fasting, he said they should avoid excessive use of beef, vanaspati ghee, margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, refined flour products, instant rice, potatoes and cream and should replace high carbohydrate, starchy diet with high protein diet including fish and fish oils.
He explained that moderate use of monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil, various dry fruits such as almond, walnut, peanuts etc is safe for heart patients however they should avoid Trans fats found in French fries, chips, crackers, cakes, biscuits, samosas, pakoras, patties, sweets, vanaspati ghee and hydrogenated oils.
Dr. Umar said patients with heart diseases and hypertension while fasting in Ramazan should eat more vegetables especially leafy vegetables and salads. Heart patients should eat fruits but avoid fruit trifles. They should use more lemon. They may use milk and yogurt but without cream, he said.
He added that it is better for heart patients to use brown flour/bread and simple ‘chapati’ instead of ‘parathas’. Heart patients and patients with hypertension can take one teaspoonful of honey and few dates daily. They should avoid excessive amounts of salt and spices and should drink plenty of water, he suggested.
It is proven medically that in order to get full benefits of fasting in Ramazan, one should eat healthy diet at ‘Iftar’ and ‘Sehr’ such as ‘fruit chaat’, ‘vegetable salads’, along with macronis; simple chapati, whole wheat bread, pulses, fish, poultry, milk, yoghurt, dates, fresh fruits juices, soups, boiled rice, potatoes, and peas etc and should avoid unhealthy diet such as deep-fried foods including ‘Samosas’, ‘pakoras’, ‘kachoris’, ‘jalabis’, and ‘parathas’, excessive usage of spices, tea, coffee, cola or other beverages etc because all these foods increase your blood Low Density Lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) which is bad for health.
To a query, Dr. Umar said a patient of hypertension or heart disease should consult a qualified physician before going for fasting as there may be chances of change or modification in his or her medication during Ramazan. Dietary imbalance while fasting for the whole month of Ramazan may cause problems for patients with heart disease and hypertension, he said.